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Tag: Kirstie McIntyre

  • Video | What it takes… to be a sustainable business | Surrey seminar with Kirstie McIntyre, 13 May 2021, 1pm
    Kirstie McIntyre | Tim Jackson

    Video | What it takes… to be a sustainable business | Surrey seminar with Kirstie McIntyre, 13 May 2021, 1pm

About

The Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP) is a cutting-edge research organisation core-funded by the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council and the Laudes Foundation. It takes the form of a rich international network, drawing together expert partners from academic and non-academic institutions as co-producers of the work programme. The overall research question is: What can prosperity possibly mean in a world of environmental, social and economic limits?—We work with people, policy and business to address this question, developing pragmatic steps towards a shared and lasting prosperity.

Contact

Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity
University of Surrey
Guildford GU2 7XH

Email: info@cusp.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0) 1483 684316

 

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A list of past newsletters can be found on the publications page. For future editions, please subscribe via Sender.net.

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🎙️Corporate Bodies: New podcast series about
🎙️Corporate Bodies: New podcast series about the strange world of #work.⁠
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Episode 1—Birth | What does it mean to set an organisation up? In this first episode of Corporate Bodies, we explore incorporation—the creation of the corporate body and we hear from Mark Walton and Kate Swade about who they are and why they are doing this inquiry together. ⁠
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Full episode via ➡️ cusp.ac.uk or wherever you get your podcasts from (🔝 or follow link in bio).⁠
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A B O U T⁠
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Kate and Mark both started this investigation with the assumption that the company—as a legal vehicle for collective action—is a useful tool for getting things done, and that there are some unexamined things deep in its DNA which contribute to some of the weirdnesses that play out in working life today. They also both have a pragmatic interest in creating nice and healthy places to work!⁠
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In this episode they talk about what they see as some of the original sins of companies today, and why they think delving into history is important for creating healthy working cultures today. ⁠
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Across this series they speak to 10 brilliant people. In this episode you hear from each of them about their experiences and perspectives on setting up new ventures.⁠
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cc #CorporateBodiesPodcast #WorkplaceCulture #Podcast #OrganisationalDevelopment #NewPodcast #NewEconomics #SustainableBusiness #AlternativeBusiness #SocialEnterprise #SocEnt #wellbeingeconomy #TheCareEconomy @wellbeingeconomyalliance @sharedassets⁠
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Corporate Bodies is a production by Mark Walton and Kate Swade, edited by @_katierevell. Artwork by @hanorbb. Supported by @CUSP_uk.


Environments and the experience of flow: A scoping
Environments and the experience of flow: A scoping review⁠
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Most studies linking environment and mental health focus on immediate pleasure (hedonic wellbeing). But what about flow—those moments of deep focus and purpose that bring lasting fulfilment?⁠
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A new review by CUSP researcher Megan Cumming et al explores how natural and built environments influence flow states—experiences of total immersion in meaningful activity—and how this shapes our sense of wellbeing.⁠
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🔍 Reviewing 60 studies from 1975–2022, four key themes emerge:⁠
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🌳 Contact with nature⁠
🧠 Person–environment fit ⁠
🎨 Aesthetics ⁠
📍 Relationship to place ⁠
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The findings highlight how flow is deeply tied to place-based meaning and offer insights for designing more supportive, meaningful environments—including in nature-based mental health interventions.⁠
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📖 Full paper via cusp.ac.uk/publications⁠
🔗 Link in bio⁠
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cc #EnvironmentalPsychology #FlowState #NatureAndWellbeing #MentalHealth #GreenSpaces #WellbeingResearch #EudaimonicWellbeing #NatureBasedInterventions #BuiltEnvironment #PsychologicalFlow #PlaceMatters #CUSPResearch⁠
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Image: courtesy of ling_gigi / Unsplash (modified)


🌱 POST GROWTH: The Science of Wellbeing Within
🌱 POST GROWTH: The Science of Wellbeing Within Planetary Boundaries⁠
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A comprehensive review by leading experts in the sustainability science field is challenging the long-held assumption that economic growth is necessary for societal progress. Published earlier this year in THE LANCET PLANETARY HEALTH, this paper explores the rapidly advancing field of post-growth research and presents a compelling case for prioritising human wellbeing and ecological sustainability over endless economic expansion.⁠
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Key advances discussed in the review include:⁠
— Ecological macroeconomic models⁠
— Policies for decoupling welfare from GDP⁠
— Resource-light systems that still support thriving lives⁠
— The politics of transition and justice between Global North & South⁠
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📖 Full paper via cusp.ac.uk⁠/publications
🔗 Link in bio⁠
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cc ⁠#ProsperityWithoutGrowth #Postwachstum #PostCroissance #Omgroei #PostCrecimiento #LifeAfterCapitalism #Degrowth #Decroissance #Decrecimiento #BeyondGDP #BeyondGrowth #PostGrowthEconomy #SystemChange #WellbeingEconomy #EcologicalEconomics #RethinkingEconomics #NewEconomics #ManagingWithoutGrowth #NewEconomy #GrowthDependency #InclusiveProsperity #RethinkingProsperity #SecularStagnation #PostConsumerism #DoughnutEconomics #CircularEconomy #SustainableWelfare #PlanetaryBoundaries #CareEconomy #TheCareEconomy HT @icta.stories @proftimjackson @drjasonhickel @wellbeingeconomyalliance @doughnuteconomics⁠
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Image: © fcsacaffeine / Getty images (licensed with Canva)⁠
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"The Question What shall we do about it? is only
"The Question What shall we do about it?  is only asked by those who do not understand the problem. If a problem can be solved at all, to understand it and to know what to do about it are the same thing."—Alan Watts, 1951 ⁠
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#WisdomOfInsecurity #AlanWates #AlanWattsQuotes #QuoteOfTheDay #Wisdom #TheCareEconomy #ÖkonomieDerFürsorge #PolicyMaking #PostGrowth #PostGrowthPolitics #LifeAfterCapitalism #ProsperityWithoutGrowth #WellbeingEconomy #Degrowth


“Care is a principle, not just a sub-sector of t
“Care is a principle, not just a sub-sector of the economy, not something that we wave around to try and claim the moral high ground for, but a principle. And the basis of that principle is restorative.

Ultimately, this way of thinking about care is a kind of a red pill. We’ve lived in the growth matrix for a long time. And it has created unpayable healthcare bills. It has created dysfunction. It’s driving us towards war. It’s a point in time in which we have to be prepared to look at the things as hard as we can in the way that they are presented to us in the world. And to explore into that depth and into that misery, even when it confronts our own prejudices.

And ask, in fact, whether the future for sustainable consumption and indeed for humanity might have much more to do with this idea that we are organic beings in search of balance. And that care is the restorative force that will lead us there.”

🎥 Full video via → cusp.ac.uk (🔝 or follow link in bio)

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#TheCareEconomy #PostGrowth #LifeAfterCapitalism #ProsperityWithoutGrowth #Degrowth #BeyondGrowth #PostWachstum #ÖkonomieDerFürsorge #WohlstandOhneWachstum #Postcroissance #Decroissance #decrecimiento #WellbeingEconomy #CareEconomy #HealthEconomics #Care #PhilosophyOfCare


🎙️Corporate Bodies: New podcast series about
🎙️Corporate Bodies: New podcast series about the strange world of #work.

Full trailer via ➡️ cusp.ac.uk or wherever you get your podcasts from (🔝 or follow link in bio).

A B O U T

Most of us have worked in companies at some point in our lives and know one thing for sure, working life is odd. The dynamics are messy, the hierarchies are often unjust and, when things go wrong, people start acting very strangely indeed.

#CorporateBodies is a new podcast series asking: why are organisations so weird? And what can we do to make them better? 

Over 11 weekly episodes, organisational development practitioners Kate Swade and Mark Walton explore how the idea of companies as ‘legal people’ shapes every stage of an organisation’s life—and affects everyone who works within it.

Each episode focuses on a different facet of organisational development, brought to life through conversations with guests who share their own lived experiences of organisational weirdness.

With an informal, irreverent tone, the show uses the human body as a guiding metaphor to structure the series, weaving in vivid language to demystify complex legal ideas like incorporation and limited liability.

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cc #CorporateBodiesPodcast #WorkplaceCulture #Podcast #OrganisationalDevelopment #NewPodcast #NewEconomics #SustainableBusiness #AlternativeBusiness #SocialEnterprise #SocEnt #wellbeingeconomy #TheCareEconomy @wellbeingeconomyalliance @sharedassets 

Corporate Bodies is a production by Mark Walton and Kate Swade, edited by @_katierevell. Artwork by @hanorbb. Supported by @CUSP_uk.


What We Care For 🌱 In our Spring edition of the
What We Care For 🌱 In our Spring edition of the CUSP newsletter:⁠
🟠 The launch of #TheCareEconomy in multiple languages⁠
🟠 New research on democratic renewal, youth wellbeing and #postgrowth macroeconomics⁠
🟠 A policy perspective in The Lancet⁠
🟠 A tribute to CUSP’s Roger Coward and his work in contemplative science⁠
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All details ▶️ cusp.ac.uk (🔝 or link in bio)⁠
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#ProsperityWithoutGrowth #Postwachstum #PostCroissance #Omgroei #ÖkonomieDerFürsorge #PostCrecimiento #LifeAfterCapitalism #Degrowth #Decroissance #Decrecimiento #BeyondGDP #BeyondGrowth #PostGrowthEconomy #SystemChange #WellbeingEconomy #EcologicalEconomics #RethinkingEconomics #NewEconomics #ManagingWithoutGrowth #NewEconomy #GrowthDependency  #SecularStagnation #PostConsumerism #DoughnutEconomics  #SustainableWelfare #PlanetaryBoundaries #CareEconomy⁠
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Image: © stock.com / Carme Parragon


On Tuesday, 18th March, we hosted a pre-release la
On Tuesday, 18th March, we hosted a pre-release launch event for #TheCareEconomy at the London Review Bookshop, bringing together a highly engaged audience for an evening of discussion and reflection on the book’s key themes.

Alongside author @ProfTimJackson, we were pleased to welcome Sir Sam Everington and Sir Michael Dixon, co-chairs of the College of Medicine, for a rich and wide-ranging conversation led by journalist Zoe Williams. Together, they explored the idea that true #prosperity lies not in relentless economic growth, but in health and human connection. Drawing on personal stories and professional insights, the discussion challenged the legitimacy of profit-driven systems that undervalue #care, over-medicalise society, and fuel chronic illness through industrialised food production geared towards commercial gain. From #SocialPrescribing to community empowerment, the speakers made a compelling case for reimagining the economy as a restorative force—grounded in balance, attention, and collective wellbeing. The event served as both a critique of the current model and a hopeful call for cultural and systemic change.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this special occasion. We appreciate your time and contributions to the conversation. 

A video recording of the event is available on the CUSP website ▶️ cusp.ac.uk/events (🔝or follow link in bio)

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cc #PostGrowth #ProsperityWithoutGrowth #BeyondGrowth #Degrowth #ÖkonomieDerFürsorge #WellbeingEconomy #CareEconomy
#Postwachstum #PostCroissance #Omgroei #PostCrecimiento #LifeAfterCapitalism #Decroissance #Decrecimiento #SystemChange #BigFood #BigPharma #HolisticMedicine #EcologicalEconomics #RethinkingEconomics #NewEconomics #GrowthDependency #RethinkingProsperity #PostConsumerism #DoughnutEconomics #SustainableWelfare @ffc_commission @wellbeingeconomyalliance @sociologysurrey @institutesustainability


"The sad truth is that most evil is done by people
"The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil."—Hannah Arendt, The Life of the Mind, 1978⁠
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#QuoteOfTheDay #HannahArendt #TheLifeOfTheMind #BanalityOfEvil #MenInDarkTimes #Wisdom #Reflection #HumanCivilisation #Humanity #HumanRights #Politics #Peace #Futures


Parliamentary Work

APPG Logo
CUSP is acting as the secretariat for the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Limits to Growth. The APPG provides a platform for cross-party dialogue and collaboration on shared and lasting prosperity in a world of environmental, social and economic limits. It aims to contribute to a growing international debate on redefining prosperity and developing new measures of progress. The APPG is chaired by Caroline Lucas MP and Clive Lewis MP, and its membership is drawn from both Houses and all main political parties.

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